


The Great Divide Chapter 18 - Sugarcoat

by Antigravity_Carnivore



Series: The Great Divide [18]
Category: Breaking Benjamin (Band), STARSET (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Computers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Emotions, F.E.C., Falling In Love, Future Fic, Gay, Gay Sex, Heavy Angst, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Male Slash, Rebellion, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-03-02 09:01:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13314873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antigravity_Carnivore/pseuds/Antigravity_Carnivore
Summary: After subduing Benjamin, Burnley takes him captive and reveals devastating information to him, while Lizzie finds herself in a strange new place called "Dawn". Will she be able to find Thomas and return to the F.E.C. base before Burnley completely manipulates and coerces Brock into doing something terrible against the Messengers?





	The Great Divide Chapter 18 - Sugarcoat

**Author's Note:**

> Please note: This chapter contains some very explicit sexual subject material. It was not written for shock value or to gain kudos. I wanted to show the range of emotion that Burnley was going through on his way to become what it is. If are easily offended, please do not read this chapter.

Benjamin awoke with a start, his entire body forced into consciousness with a harsh jolt that shook him right down to his very bones. Gasping for breath, he struggled to force his eyes open to reveal a blurry world of hazy, blinding lights that seared right into his skull and caused him immense pain inside of his head. Groaning, he tried to raise his hands up to rub the fuzziness away, but was startled to discover that his wrists were encased in heavy leather straps with large silver buckles on them which were firmly attached to the bed rail where he was laying. “What the fuck?” he whispered and moved to sit up, but found that his entire body was being restrained, forced to remain motionless on a heavily padded gurney. From his head and neck, down to his torso and extremities, he was secured in place tightly, absolutely no room for movement at all. Taking a deep breath, Ben blinked his eyes a few times, trying to clear them up so that he could get a good look at his surroundings. After a few tries, and a few moments to collect his thoughts, things started to come into focus and he could see that he was underneath a huge medical lamp, stripped down of all clothing and left with nothing more than a thin sheet thrown over his waist for modesty. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the material that covered him was saturated with blood, as was the damp mattress underneath him. The wounds Burnley had given him were still open and bubbling painfully, bleeding so profusely that he could hear the blood softly drip down and collect in a puddle somewhere under the gurney. The lacerations were precisely aimed from the hands of a skilled maniac, so that no major organs had been damage, but they were deep and still life threatening because of the sheer volume of blood lost. Darting his eyes around, Ben could see a intravenous pole set up high over his head, with several bags of blood attached to it which flowed freely down plastic bits of tubing into his arm. Why would someone go through all the effort of a blood transfusion to save his life, if they were going to let him lay there and bleed out? It didn’t make any sense. 

Closing his eyes, Ben tried to relax. There was nothing he could do at the moment. Other than the dull dripping sound, the room was utterly silent. The last thing he could remember was turning around to see the awful amber color in his son’s eyes, before feeling the blinding pain of betrayal. As the ties that held them together were neatly sliced and severed with the scalpel that Burnley shoved into Ben’s stomach multiple times. He wanted to give his son a chance at redemption, a chance to put everything that had happened to him behind and move on, but it wasn’t meant to be. Burnley was a true psychopath in every sense of the word. He was sadistic, immoral, vicious, cruel and completely insane. This was not the little boy whom he had played his guitar for and sang songs to, nor was it his son whom he carried off to bed after a late night of watching Star Wars movies together. This man, Burnley was the product of years of hate and anger which could not be reasoned with. This fact alone, broke Ben’s heart more than anything. 

Ben’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a door opening and then the grinding noise of a metal medical cart being wheeled across the floor. His first reaction was to call out, but he knew that it would be pointless. Forcing himself to remain calm, Ben closed his eyes for a moment and concentrated on his breathing. If it were the end for him, he refused to go out screaming or begging for mercy. The disease he had which took his life back on earth had completely destroyed his body, and he could recall how his last few days were shrouded in a cloud of pain and agony so intense, that he forbid anyone to be with him, including his wife and child. He wanted to die with dignity. Now, here he was facing death again, staring it straight down and welcoming it with open arms. 

The cart came to a halt just above Ben’s head, and he could hear the metal creak as someone reached up and adjusted the light to get better illumination with it. Keeping his eyes closed, he could feel the person moving around him, lurking, assessing the situation. Then without warning, a strange calmness started to overcome him, taking away all the pain and forced him to relax. There was a gentle touch on the side of his neck, as two cold fingers reached out and felt for a pulse. Ben could smell the noxious plastic of the rubber gloves that the person was wearing, it was foul and noxious, but underneath that layer of scent was something else, something more sinister. It was the scent of death and blood, unmistakably Burnley. 

He opened his eyes to see his son standing over him. He was shirtless once again, but wearing a thick black leather apron with the F.E.C. logo emblazoned on it. His hands were protected by black plastic gloves that matched perfectly with his tight leather pants and high laced up combat boots. Burnley had slicked his hair back now, so that it was away from his face, revealing those sinister amber eyes. In every way he resembled the stereotypical horror movie mad scientist, which made Ben shiver. Ben’s eyes focused on an empty syringe that Burnley had in his free hand, and noticing him alert and awake, he smiled down at his victim. “I am glad that you’re awake, now I have someone to talk to while I work.” Burnley rolled his eyes in mock sarcasm. “You have no idea how boring it can be without anyone here to talk to anymore. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so hasty in dispatching all the Carnivores, at the very least they provided a bit of amusement .”

“Burnley…” Ben whispered. “What have you done?”

Tossing the empty vial of drugs aside, Burnley began to loosen the straps that held down Ben’s head and neck, giving him a bit of freedom to look around. “I’ve given you a simple drug to sedate you, it is completely harmless and will help you to relax and take the edge off while I perform the procedure on you. It’s so much easier on both of us this way, father. No need for you to feel any unnecessary pain or discomfort, and I can work without interruption or worry. It will wear off in a short time I assure you.” Burnley pulled the cart over next the bed, and now Ben could clearly see that the tray was home to various scaplels, needles, scissors, and other medical instruments. It was a table full of the most precise butcher’s tools. They all gleamed and reflected brightly in the hot overhead slight, each waiting patiently to be used. Grabbing a stool from the far corner of the room, Burnley wheeled it over and sat next to the edge of the bed, taking hold of Ben’s wrist for a moment and measuring his pulse. “I am going to wait a few moments until the drug has taken its full effect before I get started. I want you to be good and numb when I start. So sit back and relax.” He smiled a vicious evil grin that made Ben shudder.

“I don’t understand what you are doing Burnley.” Benjamin said, not tearing his eyes off his son. 

Burnley leaned back a little, casually crossing his legs and adjusting his plastic gloves. “I am going to stitch up those nasty wounds you have there before it all leaks out onto the floor.” The smile did not leave Burnley’s face as he met Ben’s gaze, speaking very direct to him. 

Moving his wrists, Benjamin tried his best to test the limits of his movement. It was of no use, he was bound tightly and not going anywhere. “That’s not what I mean, and you know it. A few minutes ago, you were about ready to kill me, for your ‘revenge’ and now here you are stitching up wounds that you created and saving my life? Have you had a change of heart, or is this another one of your games? If it is, I am finished playing. You might as well finish the job and use that knife to slit my throat. Do whatever the hell you want with me, I don’t care anymore because I don’t care about you. I see exactly what you are now and no matter how hard I try, I can’t save you from yourself. You use pain and manipulation to control those around you because that is all you know; you are a coward who is afraid of letting someone get close to you and loving you. Nothing satisfies you anymore but the sight of blood and carnage. You’re sick and depraved and you don’t have to pretend to be something you are not. So stop fucking around.”

Benjamin’s brutal honesty with his son hit a nerve, and for a few moments he sat motionless, staring intently at him, the last few words suspended in the air of silence. Finally Burnley stood up, pushing the small stool away from him. The tone in his voice was fluxuating, almost as if he was trying his best not to show hurt from his father’s cruel words. “Alright then, I will tell you exactly what I am going do to.” Reaching down he stretched his arm out down the length of Ben’s numb body, letting his fingertips run over the blood stained sheet as he spoke. “I’ve decided that killing you would be a waste, and that as much as I would love to just rip you apart with my bare hands right now, there is a much better use for you. I enjoyed seeing the look in your eyes the moment I shoved that blade into you. I would dare say that as I plunged it deep inside of you, I found myself becoming quite aroused and excited. The feeling of your hot blood spilling out over my hands was positively euphoric.” Burnley’s hand fell down between Ben’s legs and he slid his palm out along the length of his shaft, feeling the firm muscle underneath the sheet and stroking it from above the fabric. Closing his amber colored eyes for a moment, Burnley licked his lips and drew his bottom lip in, biting down on it and shuddering in perverted passion. “You created me. I came from you, I am the product of your lust, and I want to give it all back to you, satisfying myself over and over again. Each time I am inside of you, I will go deeper and deeper, taking my fill of your body until one day, you will break…and on that day I will be able to truly be the victor. After I’ve claimed this victory over you, then…and only then will I grant you the death that you’ve been begging for.” He opened his eyes and smiled down at his father. “But I get ahead of myself. There is much to accomplish before I can indulge in any of that.” With a quick, sudden movement, Burnley grabbed the edge of the sheet and pulled it off, revealing Ben’s wounded, nude body laid out underneath the harsh light of the medical light. “One step at a time, or so they say.” He ran his fingers over the wounds in Ben’s stomach, sizing them up and then looked down at him. “It’s a pity that you won’t be able to feel any of this, because it would be really delightful to hear you scream as I shove the needle into your flesh over and over. I decided that anesthetizing the area would be the best way to go, I wouldn’t want you to have to suffer much…yet…and let’s be honest here, seeing the look in your eyes as you endured wave after wave of pain would only just make me want to get an early start on things and fuck you right here on this table.” He laughed and picked up a bottle of alcohol, dabbing it onto a piece of gauze and then slowly wiping it over the first of the lacerations. “I’ve already broken one of your friends like this so; I will be on my best behavior and try to restrain myself.”

“What?” Ben tried to sit up, but the straps only allowed him an inch or two of movement. Seeing him struggle, Burnley placed a hand against Ben’s chest and forced him back down onto the gurney. “Mother fucker!” Benjamin shouted. “What the fucking hell have you done?”

Digging his fingers into Ben’s chest, Burnley leaned down and whispered to him. “Hold still.” His voice was low and deep, a much to Ben’s surprise it sounded very much like his own, a grim mockery of what his son had become. “If you move one more time, I will completely sedate you, and if you force my hand to do that, I gaurntee that I won’t stop at just stitching your wounds. Now, lay still and let me finish this.” Scowling, Burnley held his father down for another minute and feeling him relax, picked up a curved, sharp needle and the sutures from off the cart. Satisfied that his threat had calmed Ben down, he took hold of the needle and started to work on the larges of the lacerations, lining it up with the jagged edges of flesh, he pushed it in, listening for the satisfying pop at it penetraded the skin and went through to the other side. Giving it a gentle tug, Burnley pulled the length of suture material through and with a quick tug, tied it closed with the precise delicateness of a surgeon. He took a moment to examine his work before slightly adjusting the light above him and moving on to the next.

While he worked, Benjamin lay silently on the gurney. Burnley was right, there was no pain at all, only a light pressure every time the needle bit into his skin, but for the most part he was blissfully unaware of each time the needle entered and exited. He glanced up to the IV pole high above his head and watched dully as the blood flowed down it and into the plastic tubing and into his veins. He knew that he had to get himself out of the situation as soon as possible, and find the others. He cursed himself for forgetting that they were there, and blamed it on Selene’s use of the visor on him. All the memories he had after waking up in the F.E.C. base were starting to come back to him now slowly, and with it a deepening sense of heartbreak and sadness. Thomas had hurt him, very deeply and as all the memories of that moment came flooding back to him, along with something else, a feeling that he was missing something, something very important that was right there but just out of sight, in a place where he couldn’t see to access at the moment. Shoving the feelings away, Ben knew that he couldn’t let Burnley win now, he would find a way to get out and save the others who were depending on him. 

An hour passed by the time that Burnley had finished the stitches, and the sedative he had given Ben was completely worn off, but he didn’t let on to it. If anything, Ben knew that he had to have every bit of strength available to him if he was going to get away. Burnley dropped the bloody needle into a pan of chemicals and then peeled his gloves off, leaning up to look at his patient. “Finally decided to cooperate, I’m glad. You will see that things go much better this way.” Grasping at the edge of the sheet, he pulled it back up over Ben’s body and pushed the harsh light out of the way. Untying the knot from the apron around his waist, Burnley cast it aside as well and picked up the shirt he had stolen from Ben earlier. Ben looked over to his son, and gazed at the young man’s back. For the first time, he could see the multitude of old healing scars running horizontally across his skin, the painful evidence that he had been repeatedly whipped and beaten. They criss-crossed up and down his spine, partially concealed by a intricate tattoo of a skeletal bird which rested on his shoulders and neck. The bird’s bones each lined up with a particually bad scar that was still healing. Ben shuddered, thinking about the torture that his son must have endured at the hands of his captors for years. Quickly pulling on the shirt, Burnley turned back around and pressed his fingers into Benjamin’s neck, timing his pulse. 

“How did you make them stop?” Ben asked, breaking the silence and looking up at his son. 

Burnley moved his fingers away, taken back by Ben’s question. “What?” He asked. 

“I saw what you’ve done to the Carnivores in this base, and all the researchers that worked here. You slaughtered them all, and you had your reasons why, but I want to know how you managed to break free from the F.E.C.?”

“Why are you so interested?

“They kept telling me that I was special, and I didn’t know why. For as long as I can remember, I was pushed around from one facility to another, being forced to sit through all their conditioning and brainwashing, only at the time, I didn’t see it as that. They told me who I was, who you were, and that my life depended on ending yours. I did everything that they asked me to do, because if I didn’t then they would beat me to an inch of my life and leave me to suffer alone without medical attention for days in a cell by myself. If I did cooperate with them, and did everything they wanted me to, then they took me back to my cell early and the Carnivores would come in and do even more awful things to me. They wanted me to be the one that would be invincible and bring down the Messengers, their ‘special project’ as they liked to call me, but their way of building me up was nothing more than abuse, plain and simple. I cried, screamed and begged for mercy... but it wasn’t enough for make the nightmares go away. My tears never ran dry. Every night, they opened me up and took out the innocence that I was so desperately clinging to. When I hit my teen years, the typical teenage rebellion kicked in and I decided I had enough, and tried to escape. They caught me, and that’s when my life truly started to change. In an effort to make me more subservient to them, they started to inject me with the Eden drug. The first dose they gave me was massive and stopped my heart. Your true son died that day, father .” Burnley stopped for a moment and reached for the railing on the edge of the gurney and wrapped his hands around it, Benjamin could see that his knuckles were turning white. “They explained that I had been dead for a long time before they managed to bring me back. As they spoke to me, all I could feel was this blanket of coldness descending over me. It filled me with this great amount of rage and hate for each and every one of them for what they had been doing to me over the years. When they put me back in my cell and the nightly beatings began again, I started to welcome the pain and let it flow through me instead of fighting against it. Seeing that I was getting stronger and more ‘receptive’ after the first initial dose of the drug, the continued to give me more and more. I led them to believe that I was responding to their wishes and demands, and in time they started to trust me and give me more responsibilities in the base. I absorbed everything that they could teach me. Then one night not too long ago, I heard the door to my room being opened as I tried to sleep and someone enter. As I grew older, a lot of the research scientists had stopped coming in to do their business with me. I believe it was because I was no longer sexually attractive to them anymore, having grown up and moving past the ‘innocent little boy’ stage. Now that I was a man, their interest faded, but I was faced with a new danger, the Carnivores.” 

Letting go of the bed rail, Burnley sat back down on the stool and lowered his head. “Bio-genetically altered humans optimized for the highest performance is what they are. Programmed by specalists, they do whatever it is that they are told to do. They are supposed to be ‘cleansed’ of all things that make them human when they are converted, so that there is absolutely no chance for hestitation, or guilt.” He lowered his voice a little and once again Ben noticed that his shoulders dropped a little and he seem to retreat down into himself much like he had done before when he was talking about his past. “But there are some really sick people working here in this base for the F.E.C… they can make those things do whatever they want to. They wanted to see what happens if they set one of the Carnivores on me… it came into my room and threw me up against the wall with a incredible strength. I hit the concrete chest first and before I knew it, it was holding me down against the cold stone with one hand, while it clawed and ripped at my clothing with the other. I felt it shred the material on my back, peeling away the layers until there was almost nothing left, and then force me down to the floor. Crouching on top of me, the weight was almost too much for me to bare as it used those same claws to pull off my trousers. I tried to scream, but for some reason, I just couldn’t. It was so cold and hard, encased in a series of metallized scales that some sick fuck designed for it. Before I knew it, it rammed it’s cock hard into me, and I was hit with a blinding wave of pain all at once, completely washing over me. It was euphoric. As it started to thrust in and out of me from behind, I tried to pull myself up, but those claws were on me once again, tearing at the flesh of my back, ripping, pulling, slicing through my skin as swiftly as it had done with the fabric of my shirt. I managed to get myself up and saw the blood running down my arms in rivers as the thing continued to pound harder and harder into my ass. With each penetrating stroke, I was filled up both mentally and physically with so much pain that I was able to take control of it and get the fucker off of me with one quick movement. I threw it off my back and ripped off it’s helmet and started pounding my fist against it’s face. I saw the human visage underneath the armor, I knew this was a person once but I didn’t give a fuck, I needed to destroy it. Then I noticed the more bones I broke, the more damage I did, the harder my own cock started to get and I couldn’t resist the urges I had any longer. Of all the nights they had sent people in here to fuck me and rape me, leaving me to sob alone in the corner, this was my night to do the same to them, and that’s exactly what I did. My body was running with adrenaline and a strange new strength, amplified by the Eden drug running though my veins. I flipped the creature over and let my hand find it’s metal encased dick, and as I did, I pulled with every muscle I had, summoining strength I never knew I had. It ripped off quite easily, and I stood there in the center of my room, watching the blood spill out from it’s crotch with delight. The body dropped over and landed face first down on the ground, and walked over and stood over it, like a gladiator standing over the body of a lion he was thrown to, to be eaten. I saw the camera high above on the cieleing blinking and I knew they were watching me, so I took the metal cock in my hand and drove it into the back of the Carnivore’s skull, creating a deep hole in the cranium and then pulled it out and tossed it aside. I started laughing when I heard the loud metallic thud ring out as it hit the floor. Looking at that camera, I bent down and slipped my engorged shaft into that hole, pushing past the layers of cerebral fluid and brain matter. It felt so good, hot and moist against my throbbing dick as I plowed into its head, giving it a good skull fuck. I kept my eyes focused on that camera, never taking them off of that red blinking light. It was on that night when I came for the first time, my cock shoved deeply into the back of a Carnivore’s head. No longer was I a boy, but a man, baptized by flesh, blood and bone.”

Standing up, Burnley finishing buttoning up the front of his shirt and pushed the tray of used instruments away from the table and came to stand next to the intravenous pole that was dripping the last few drops of blood down the tubing and into Benjamin’s veins. “They came after me, sent more of their Carnivores into the room to subdue me, but I ripped them all apart. This new power than ran though my veins, this sexual energy, ramped up by the drugs was unstoppable. They shot at me, a few even hit, but I didn’t feel it, I was on a high that was never ending. Eventually I made my way to the control room, which sits high atop the facility, where you can see everything that is happening, and I discovered a lock box containing Selene’s work and a samurai sword. I was able to disable some of the bases security systems and under the cover of darkness, I hunted every single sole that worked here and systematically killed them all.” Burnley cocked his head to the side and smiled down at Benjamin. “So that’s what happened to me, father. It’s not quite what you wanted to hear; you wanted to hear how sad and lonely I’ve been here and that there is still a chance at saving me, but really there isn’t. What I told you is the truth. Your actions and the actions of your friends have put me down this path, and it cannot be undone.” Burnley bowed a sarcastic, mocking bow in front of Ben’s bed and smiled. “I thank you for this gift, father. For the power to triumph over my foes.”

There was a lump that formed in the back of Benjamin’s throat that wouldn’t let him speak for several minutes. Burnley’s story was unbelievable sadistic and he told it with such a tone of pride in his voice that it truly frightened Ben. “Why don’t you just get on with your torture here and finish me off so you can move on to other things?” He said, hoping that his taunting would provoke Burnley into anger, and inevitable making a mistake where he could slip free. “Why wait? You disgust me, and I would never admit to calling you my son. My child died years ago and now there’s just a freak in front of me calling me father.”

A wicked smile creeped across Burnley’s lips and his eyes flashed in delight. “You’re so wrong there, Benjamin. Let me correct you on a few things. First off, ‘I’ am not going to do a single thing against you, at least not yet. That would be too easy. As you know I love the thrill of a chase, and slitting the neck of a rabbit trapped in a snare wouldn’t be fun at all, so I am going to wait until just the precise time, until you are mad with the waiting for something to happen, ready and anxious to suffer, but until then I shall bide my time.” Burnley started to head for the door and stopped mid-way and turned around. “And as for you disowning me as your blood, I can assure you that it will never happen. Part of me will always be with you…inside of you.” He glanced up at the empty tube of blood and grinned. “This base has a very limited supply of viable blood available, so I had to work with what I could find. Not being a natural born inhabitant of Prox definitely works against you in this situation, and it probably would have killed you if I had used it. It was a dangerous risk that I wasn’t willing to take.”

A cry escaped Ben’s parched lips as he followed Burnley’s gaze to the bright red tubing that ran into his arm. “Oh my god…” he moaned.

“That’s right. I used my own blood to transfuse into you. Had I not done it, you’d be dead by now. So, as much as you want to deny me the birthright as your son, I will ALWAYS be your blood, father.” Burnley laughed and made his way over to the door, leaving Ben in a state of shock. Upon reaching it, he stood in the threshold with his fingers held over the switch for the main lights in the room. “Oh and if that’s not enough for you, I want to remind you that my promise is good, and I will come back to have my way with you, because I need to completely break you, possess you, and own every part of you, both body and mind. I am quite good at that, it’s a natural skill for me. You should have seen what I did to one of your friends who came here to save you. He screamed so beautifully as I carved him up with the same scalpel that I used on you, and begged for mercy as I violated him in the worst way possible, all the while I was convincing him that he was receiving pleasure from it. Oh the guilt that he was feeling when he started to get a hard on for me was quite exquisite. It was ripping him apart inside, literally. He fought and fought to keep hold of what he believed in and not betray you by being with me. All he wanted was you; all he cared about was you, until I destroyed him. In the end though, I had him. He gave up everything for one simple moment of pleasure, all the time crying out for you, wishing that my dick was yours. You can’t possibly imagine how hard I had to ride him before he broke, but when he did…. It was beautiful.”

“Thomas…” he murmured. “….he didn’t deserve that, you bastard! How can you be so damn cold!” He shouted across the room. Ben thought about the last moments he had spent with him; they were filled with feelings of treachery and anger, all because Thomas was forced to admit he had feelings for Lizzie. It was a position that no one should ever have to be in. Ben couldn’t stand the thought of rejection and had stormed out in rage. Now he realized that his departure had put the others in danger and he felt so defeated. 

Burnley stood silently. “Can’t take the truth? Does it hurt more than physical pain? You better get used to it, because I am leaving you here alone with your guilty thoughts… but I thought that it would be quite interesting for you to hear about the first one of your Messengers to be destroyed. I am going to hunt each and every one of them down and show them exactly what their devotion to you gets them. I’ll find out exactly what their weaknesses are and use it against them. All the blame will go to you, Benjamin. You forced my hand on this. Consider that my father’s day gift to you; the death of all that you love, and the total destruction of Prox.” Flicking his fingers, Burley pressed on the switch, shutting off the remainder of the lights. The room was instantly shrouded in a thick layer of darkness that enveloped everything. Ben could just see the silhouette outline of Burnley standing in the doorway. “Oh and father… it wasn’t Thomas Bell who fell before me. It was Dustin Bates.” Waving his hand in front of the sensor, Burnley shut the door, taking away the last bit of light. 

Alone in the darkness, on the desolate barren planet of Prox, Benjamin Burnley did something that he had never done before in his life, he broke down and started to cry. 

Lizzie pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and rolled over. The soft mattress and pillow were so warm and comforting, inviting her to stay in bed just a little while longer. Snuggling in, she let out a content sigh and tried to fall back asleep, but the noticed the strange noises around her. Unsure of what was going on, she opened her eyes and looked around in panic. She didn’t know where she was. Immediately sitting up, the blanket fell down off her and she could see that all her clothing had been removed, and replaced with a loose fitting white top and bottoms to match. Her feet were bare and cold, and she wiggled her toes back underneath the blankets to get them warm again. Wrapped around her wrist was a thin strip of plastic with her name on it and a barcode. Gazing at it in wonder, she jumped to a start when the door opened up and a man stepped inside.

He was carrying a small metal tray of food, which contained fruits and vegtables the likes of which she had never seen before, but they looked incredibly appetizing and she had to stop herself from drooling; she had not realized just how long it was since she had eaten last, and couldn’t take her eyes off of it. Smiling, the man sat the tray down next to her on a small table and gestured. “You look half starved, please eat something, you need it.” Lizzie looked at him with a bit of apprehension and was drawn in by his open, honest expression. “Don’t worry, it’s not poisioned or anything, we’re good people, you are safe here Lizzie.”

Grabbing the large, luscious red apple off the tray she immediately took a huge bite of it, and the sweet, aromatic tender flesh of it filled her mouth and it instantly refreshed her. The man continued to smile at her, and she wiped away a bit of juice than ran down her mouth. “I don’t know you.” She said. “How do you know who I am, and where am I anyway?”

With the absence of any chairs in the tiny room, the man pointed at the edge of the bed. “May I sit?” he asked politely. Lizzie pulled her feet back, still keeping them under the blanket and nodded to him. He came to sit down next to her, but leaving enough distance for her to feel comfortable. She could see that he was dressed in tan and brown loose fitting cargo pants and a tight fitting t-shirt, with high lace up combat boots. He had short light blonde hair that accented his bright blue eyes and confident, open smile. Even there were no weapons or radio equipment on him, for some strange reason she got a feeling that he had something to do with a military force. “The most important thing of what I am about to tell you is that you’re safe. No one here will harm you. You are among friends.” He gently touched her arm and she gazed down at his hand. “Do you under understand?”

His tone was soft and comforting, and between the warmth of the room and the delicious taste of the full plate of luscious fruit, she could do nothing but agree. Taking another bite of the apple, she nodded and once again he smiled at her.

“You’re at ‘Dawn’. This is a small base which homes a close knit group of Messengers in the Eastern quadrant of Prox.” He said.

Lizzie’s eyes widened. “Another group of Messengers?”

The man nodded. “Yes, it’s been customary for our factions to keep little to no information about other bases known because of the methods of brainwashing that the F.E.C. has access to. If someone from our base is captured and/or converted there would be no chance of him revealing the location of the other rebels, because no one knows where they are, except for a select few. It’s all very tight lipped. A short time ago, we intercepted a radio signal sent by Thomas Bell to an unknown recipient, ordering a strike against his own base, and it worried us. Why would a man of his standing do this? What led him to want to annihilate his own people? So we sent out a small group to find out what was going on, tracing back the coordinates that he sent. When we arrived the entire facility was overrun with Carnivores, a total loss, except for a few that somehow managed to make it out through service tunnels that ran deep under the base.”

“Oh my god!!” Lizzie said, nearly jumping out of her bed. “You saved them!”

“Well not all, as we were evucating them, the tunnel collapsed. We suspect that it was detonated from the inside and we lost some people, they were unable to be recovered in the short time that was available. So we took in who we can and retreated back here before we could be discovered. They filled us in on everything, including the disappearance of Commander Burnley, and this is of great concern to us. We have been searching the desert and every bit of communication that comes in, in an effort to try and find out his location.”

Lizzie had stopped eating her apple and held it in her hand, gripping it tightly. “Why do you want to find Ben so badly? Surely you have your own leaders here.”

“Yes we do. It’s a bit complicated explanation, really. Let me start from the beginning. You see most of the people here in this base have been here for a very long time. We are one of the oldest groups on Prox and we are fighting desperately to not let it get destroyed, because the place we are from….” He stopped for a moment, and waved his hand. “Forgive me, I should say ‘the place where our great grandparents were from… was completely obliterated by the F.E.C. and we do not want that to happen here. Before they destroyed the Earth, and things started getting bad, the F.E.C. thought they could make a little money by ‘selling’ spots on a shuttle to Prox, for people to start a new life. The planet was falling apart, people were becoming enslaved and they knew that they had to try and find something better for their families. Prox was billed as this beautiful new planet where they could start all over again, new life, new resources, and a fresh start. There was only one catch. In exchange for passage to the newly discovered planet, you had to agree to work for them for 5 years. After that, you were free. Our families took up a collection and left Earth to come here. 5 couples, who were friends all, came here with their children. In time they discovered the atrocities that the F.E.C. was committing against the native people here, and to the planet itself and managed to escape. Thankfully they were taken in by people here and eventually as time progressed, we worked with them and the base that you see around you was created. Our grandparents and parents took up arms and have been fighting against the F.E.C. for years now, and for us, the new generation, we continue the fight to protect the planet. This is where Benjamin Burnley comes into the picture… our grandparents knew of a man with that name from some time ago; a wonderful, caring, compassionate man who would fight dearly for the ones that he loved. They spoke very highly of him, and then one day, out of the blue… we find out that a man of the same description has now taken over the Messengers base to the east… and people were talking, whispering, gossiping that somehow this person is the one who is going to be our savoir and bring the planet back from the dead.” The man got up off the bed and reached for Lizzie’s tray of food, pushing it closer to her. “Then earlier this morning, one of our patrols spotted a rogue Carnivore group hunting something. We don’t get very many sightings of Carnivores that have gone off the grid, they usually just get fried by the F.E.C. and it’s over and done with… still, a few of them manage to escape and band together to sift through the wastelands out there in search of flesh to devour. They are more like a pack of rabid dogs than anything. Anyway one group managed to force your vehicle off the road, and you crashed. Luckily my men made it to you and Selene in time and dispatch those bastards before they got you both.”

“Selene!” Lizzie cried out. “Where is she? Is she okay? I need to see her!”

The man held his hands up. “Slow down, she’s going to be alright. We pulled her out first and realized that her wounds were more than we could tend to here, so she gave us the coordinates for the Shallow Bay. She’s on her way back there right now for more advanced medical care.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Lizzie sat back on the bed, pulling the blankets up around her tighter. “Why didn’t you send me back there too?” she asked curiously. She didn’t completely trust this man, and now that she realized that Selene wasn’t with her, she felt scared and alone. She wanted her friends, she wanted Thomas, she wanted to be safe and protected, but instead her she was, in a place that was unknown to her, alone and lost.

“Your injuries aren’t as serious, and have already been well cared for. It wasn’t necessary to send you home yet…” He hesitated and the tone in his voice changed from light hearted and friendly to serious. “Before the transport left, Selene filled us in on everything that has been going on.”

Peering at him from her position on the bed, Lizzie started to shake slightly and she twisted the edge of the sheet tightly in her hands. “Everything?” she asked.

“We know that Benjamin may or may not be alive in the base that you just escaped from, and that he may have fallen at the hands of this Burnley kid. She couldn’t say for certain, but we know he is wounded and in dire need of help.” The man leaned against the wall casually, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Lizzie picked up a sense of apprehension from him now. He was silently sizing her up, deciding on what information to trust her with. “She also revealed that Burnley has the coordinates to the main F.E.C. facility here on Prox where the Everything Machine is being kept. That device is the reason why our planet is dying. Every time they use it, it drains more and more resources, and they won’t stop until it’s sucked dry. It is the one thing we’ve been unable to locate and destroy. If we can find it and take it down, then we have a chance of forcing them off our planet.”

Knitting her small hands together, Lizzie felt her heart beating fast. “So that’s why Selene wanted him saved.” Her voice dropped, becoming quiet. “Because he could lead someone to the heart of the F.E.C… to where the machine is being kept.” Lizzie stopped for a moment, thinking back to the last time she had seen Burnley, it was in the hall as she and Thomas were trying to escape. She went out to retrieve the medical bag that Thomas wanted and as she looked down the corridor, their eyes met and Lizzie thought that it would be her last moment. His eyes were so cold and lifeless, just dark hollow orbs that peered straight at her, almost right into her soul. For some strange reason, she was trapped and mesmerized at the same time, and was so terrified that she couldn’t even call out. Burnley stopped for a moment, his naked torso covered in fresh blood that dripped down off his chest like rain on a window pane. He had his sword held tightly in his hand and looked right at her, looked right through her, and then much to her surprise, he walked away. Burnley walked away from her. Lizzie shuddered, remembering the moment with perfect clarity. Brining herself back to reality, she looked at the man across from her with a serious look on her face. There was something troubling her. “…and now you want him, you want Burnley because he’s valuable to you know with those coordinates.”

“Exactly. We already have a small strike force gearing up and getting ready to infiltrate the base and capture him. If we move quickly, he will be unaware of our plans and we can get in there, without him knowing and use the advange of secrecy against him. After we’ve successfully subdued him, we will locate Benjamin and then destroy the base and bring him back here for questioning.”

Lizzie’s head snapped up. “No! You can’t do that! I have friends that are still in there. Thomas went back inside! Brock and Dustin are trapped! If you blow up the base you’re going to kill them as well.” She stood up suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit her and she stumbled, falling into the man’s arms as he stopped her from falling. She looked up at him with pleading eyes as he gently eased her back down onto the bed.

“That’s why we left you here, Lizzie. You are going to go with us back into the base and help us find Burnley, once we do, we will have a short time before we detonate the bomb that will blow it up. In that time, we can help you find your friends…but only if you help us find Burnley.” He moved to sit next to her on the bed again, this time without asking and took hold of her hands, holding onto them tightly. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that we’re just out to use you, that once we find this Burnley kid, we will finish our job and not care about you or your friends.” He shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile. There was just something so open and friendly about him, Lizzie was starting to believe that he was telling the truth. All her life, growing up under the F.E.C. rule all she had known was betrayal and lies, and now for the first time, she felt as though she needed to start trusting again. She couldn’t keep thinking of herself, locking herself away and not getting hurt. This time there was so much more riding on her decisions and actions. Just like Thomas, she was a nobody who never thought that their existence mattered, and never knew that their actions would influence the survival of an entire planet, but yet here she was on the turning point, a crucial moment in time that could affect everything she had ever known. “We will find them, and bring them home safely, I promise you.”

A pain in her side made Lizzie wince a bit, feeling the crude stitches Selene had placed there pull a bit, giving her a uncomfortable sore feeling. The thought of going back into the base was terrifying, and she wasn’t sure that he was physically capable of doing it, but she knew that she couldn’t leave the fate of her friends to rest in the hands of strangers. No matter how badly she was feeling, she had to go. “You keep calling Burnley a kid, and you talk like you’re not afraid of him, but I think you are really underestimating him. He’s more than some crazy, homidicial lunatic running around there hunting down Carnivores and slaughtering his employees… he’s a cold, calculating predator. There’s something inside of him that no one understands, it comes from a dark, twisted place and he knows how to use it to manipulate people and control them. He’s not a ‘kid’, as you put it. He’s a monster that knows you from the inside out without ever meeting you. One look from those eyes and he’s got you trapped. You are going with the element of surprise, but it’s never going to work, he probably already knows you’re coming.”

“We’re dying Lizzie. The planet is dying. Look outside and see the ultraviolent light that burns away the clouds and makes it unbareablely hot in the daytime. Feel the cold, fridid wind at night when it hits you in the face and freezes your skin. Try your best to find a miniscule droplet of water or moisture, and you won’t find anything for miles around. These are all things that they did to our home, they’ve taken everything away from us, and we’ve got nothing left. If we don’t take a chance and do something soon, then we might as well lay down and die and I am not ready for that yet. I understand that we’re going up against something that’s bigger than us, but isn’t that how change starts? One unremarkable person standing up and saying ‘enough is enough’? If you don’t want to come with us, that’s fine. You are more than welcome to remain here, you will be well taken care of. The choice is yours.”

He let go of her hands and handed her a small bottle of water. Lizzie took it and glanced down at the clear liquid suspended in the container. This was more pure, clean water than she had seen in a long time, and he was giving it to her. This stranger had been more than generous to her, and part of her felt obligated to return the favor, but going back into the base unprepared was suicide. She would have to find a way to convince them, make them more aware of the dangers of the sadistic Burnley before they even set foot inside. Nodding to the man, she opened the bottle and took a long drink of the crystal clear, refreshing water. It slipped down her throat and into her body, instantly refreshing her. “I’m in.” she said. 

Patting her on the shoulder, the man smiled at her and then rose to his feet. “Thank you Lizzie. I will let you get some rest, we have a few hours before we’re ready to move out. Try and get a nap in if you can, you will need every bit of your strength. He made his way over to the door and pulled it open and then started to laugh. “Oh forgive me; I came right in here jumped right in. I never introduced myself.” He turned around and walked back over to the bed, extending his hand to her. “My name is Aaron, welcome to Dawn.” 

Burnley moved his hands slid his hands up underneath Brock’s shirt, spreading his fingers out and gliding them along his stomach until they reached the edge of his hips. Pressing his palms down, he arched his fingertips and grasped at Brock’s thin body, pulling him closer so that he could feel the stiff hardness pressing against his pelvis. Burnley let his fingers move up slightly and slip over the curve of Brock’s back, his touch like a wave of fire spreading up and down his spine. Leaning in to the soft spot between his neck and shoulder, Burnley spoke softly to him. “Can you feel it? All the pain, sorrow and anger that has been trapped inside of you for so long finally coming to the surface just begging to be released. It’s bound up in you, pushing at the seams, throbbing and pulsating for an eternity.” Burnley’s lips moved higher up onto his neck as he spoke, his breath warm and inviting. He felt those burning fingers move to the front of his pants now, and flick open the metal button with one single movement. “I can give you exactly what you want. A way out, a way home…” He dropped his hand down lower and grasped at the bulge between Brock’s legs, groping him through the thick fabric. “…but I can also give you something else; I can give you power beyond your wildest dreams. I can teach you to control the pain that consumes you, and show you how to use it make you strong, so that nothing can touch you. Think of all the pain and suffering you’ve gone through in your life… all that time…half your life wasted wanting that one person who didn’t want you. Absorb all of this into you and let it flow through your veins. Every time he kissed you was a lie, each time he touched you was a deception. He poisoned you; he’s the cause of all your confusion. I am the antidote.”

Trembling, reached out and wrapped his arms around Burnley, feeling how strong and firm the muscles in his back were, so powerful and seemingly invincible. His fingers ran along the pink scars, etched in to the skin violently and deeply. When he looked into Burnley’s face, he could no longer see Benjamin there, but instead a person who had been subjected to some of the worst things imaginable, and overcame them all, slipping out of the shadow of his father and becoming his own person. This was not Little Ben, nor was it the cruel leader of a sect of Carnivores. Standing in front of him, was the man who saved his life. A man with hopes and dreams just like anyone else. Going home was all that Brock wanted. He had to get away from this life, this planet and back to what he knew, and for the chance to do that, he would gladly give anything. Burnley was right, ever since Dustin had cast him aside, there was this darkness inside of him that started growing, becoming stronger with each passing moment. It felt like a cancer eating away at his insides, devouring him from within and he knew that he had to do something about it. Going home would be the best thing; a way to escape and not have to confront and deal with it… but Burnley… Burnley suffered from the same disease, the same darkness and had found a way to overcome it; he ruled it, commanded and mastered it and part of him wanted to do the same. For so long Brock had asked Dustin to make that dreaded decision but he both feared and welcomed the answer. It would set him free or enslave him, but which was which? Now, being here with Burnley, feeling this powerful man on top of him, he knew that it was his turn to make decision. Burnley’s embrace and advances led him to a pure moment of clarity. It washed over him like the waves of the ocean. He hated Dustin, he hated his life, he wanted them both to end, and instantly knew what he had to do. Taking a deep breath, Brock pulled Burnley a little closer and whispered to him. “What do I have to do?”

The corners of Burnley’s upturned into a smile and he stopped what he was doing to bring a hand up to the side of Brock’s face and gently laid it on his cheek, his fingers stroking across the soft flesh. “I knew that you would come around eventually.” Brock felt as though a enourmous weight had been lifted off his chest, and Burnley’s reassuring touch made him melt. All the years of emotional neglect at the hands of the one that he loved evaporated in one tender touch from a man who everyone had claimed to be cold-hearted and cruel. Burnley was exposing a side of himself that Brock was certain no one else had seen. He wanted to sink into those arms and disappear into the void with this man never to be seen or heard from again. Moving slowly, Burnley reached forward and took hold of Brock’s wrists, placing the palm of his hands on them and then started to move them up his arms to his elbows. Brock’s lips parted and he whimpered slightly. The touch was not forced or possessive, but instead it was incredibly light and gentle, and knowing it was coming from the hands of a killer, a madman, a rapist and Brock tremble. From his elbows, Burnley shifted slight and then moved his hands to the upper part of Brock’s arms, just below the shoulders. This time the touch was a little more heavier, and substancial. The thrill was exlierating. Brock wanted to reach out feel that warm skin against his, but Burnley kept him motionless, pinned down by more than physical means. Placing his hands over Brock’s shoulders, Burnley dug his fingers in and gripped him hard. In a whirl of motion, he took hold of him and spun him around so that he was now facing the large glass windows that were set in front of the control panel. The large steel shutters which covered them were highly polished and gleaming almost like a mirror, and Brock could see his own reflection in them. He stared it for a moment then looked away. Almost immediately, Burnley grabbed the back of his head with a vice like grip and forced him to face forward while he brought his lips over Brock’s ear and spoke in a commanding tone.

“Don’t be a coward. Face up to the person you see there and take control over him. Your reflection is a backward image of yourself, everything from the past, all your deeds both good and bad are shown there. If you bare to stand up and face them, then you will be destined to re-live them.” He let go of Brock’s head and slipped a hand down around his body and brought it over his chest, leaving it resting over his heart. “You’ve let me in. I am a part of you know, I never back away from a challenge and I never fail, I get exactly what I want. Right now, you are what I want, Brock. The things I can do with you are going to be wonderful and awe-inspiring… so I want you to face yourself with confidence that I won’t ever let you fail.” Brock lifted his eyes up to look into the reflection again and at that exact moment, Burnley whispered to him from behind. “Not like he did.”

A moment of extreme sadness washed over Brock, and he averted his eyes. Burnley caught this and let released his grip. Feeling him pull away was like ice water poured over a raging fire. Brock instantly started to shiver and tremble feeling vulnerable. He gripped the edge of the console for support. He needed Burnley. He wanted Burnley. What the hell was going on? Still standing behind him, Burnley watched Brock with interest. “You’re still so frightened of letting go… “ He reached forward and slipped his hand over the slope of Brock’s ass and he inhaled deeply, an electric spark shooting down his spine. “I can make all it all go away. I can stop this constant weakness that you let slip it. We can shut that door forever.” Burnley leaned forward and kissed the back of Brock’s neck. “Shall I stop it?” Moving his hand away, he pushed himself against Brock with such force that he almost fell into the console face first. Brock could feel the stiff, hard shaft rubbing up from behind him and Burnley’s fiercely hot body wrapping around him again. Rational thought escaped him and he struggled to follow what Burnley was saying. All he wanted was to be consumed by him. “Cast away the last layer of your old life and become one with me.”

“Yes.” Brock whimpered. “I’ll do whatever you want.”

“I knew you would.” Reaching into his back pocket, Burnley withdrew the small black box that he had taken off the shelf earlier and sat it down on the control panel in front of Brock. “Open it.”

With shaking hands, Brock did as he was told. His fingers fumbled with the latch, as he struggled to open it, fearing that it would be like a child’s jack in the box and something would come popping out at him. Finally managing to open the clamshell case, Brock found himself staring down at a sparkling silver syringe, filled to maxium capacity with a stange, swirling amber colored liquid. It rested on a bed of red velvet which surrounded it and gave it a almost sinister feel. 

“This is the last hurdle you must over come Brock. I haven’t lied to you this far, and I don’t intend on starting now.” Burnley said, moving his arms and wrapping them around his waist again. 

Staring at the needle, Brock found that he couldn’t take his eyes off of it. “What is it?” he asked.

“Eden. The home that Adam and Eve were expelled from; the most beautiful garden in the world, a place of wonder and enchantment where you can become hopelessly lost in forever.”

Brock took the syringe out of the box and held it up to the light. “The Eden drug… I’ve read the research on this…you used it on Dustin.. to trap him in his own mind…”

Burnley busied himself with running his fingers up and down Brock’s spine. “A lower dosage, yes. So you know what it can do.”

Swallowing, Brock forced the words forward. “No. I am not taking that.” He took a breath. He was defying Burnley and knew that there would probably be repercussions of his decision. Sitting the syringe down, Brock turned to walk away, and Burnley stopped him, putting his larger body between his and the control panel.

“It’s not for you.” With those words, Burnley pushed a button on the console and the shudders slowly opened. Brock looked up and could see from his vantage point a large circular room far below them that was shrouded in darkness. Burnley spoke to him quietly, his voice sweet and gentle. “What you need to be set free is in there, the manifestation of all your fears and hatred. You need to confront it and move on. Once you do this, you will be able to do anything that you want Brock. True freedom…” Hitting another button, Burnley triggered the lights, illuminating the room with a medicinal bright white light that lit up the only thing in the room a gurney with Benjamin Burnley tied down to it. He was conscious but looking pale and haggard. The sheet that covered his body was stained with the crusty streaks of dried blood, and there were still small puddles of it surrounding the bottom of the bed, slowly dripping into the drain in the center of the room. Brock did not cry out or let any emotion show on his face, not did he move or react in the slightest, and this pleased Burnley greatly. “As I promised you, Brock, I can send you home. I have the coordinates to where the Everything Machine is being kept, and I know how to use it. I can take you there if you like, but you must do this one simple thing….”


End file.
